completely new systems - any ideas??

[shnicks]

Had a home entertainmet system which i have just sold as i want a clean slate to start with. My living room is about 14ft x 20ft and i want a system that can handle music as well as i havent got the space a separate stereo system.

My budget is £1500 and any help with putting a good system together will be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[chudleighpaul]

Does the £1500 include a new TV?

 

[shnicks]

No not at all. Just for the AV receiver, speakers and sub woofer.

 

[Anonymous]

yamaha rxv1065 £450 from richersounds ..

monitor audio br5 av package , around a grand ..

 

[shnicks]

Thanks for your help. I assume the AV system is good for music as well i can also see that its the same system you have got. Thanks once again

 

[Anonymous]

shnicks:Thanks for your help. I assume the AV system is good for music as well i can also see that its the same system you have got. Thanks once againim not too clued up on what other choices may suit you to be honest , ive only had a tv for sound up until about 5 weeks ago , i bought seperate gear for music as you can see from my signiture , the yamaha was good for music too though imo , for home cinema , the yam and ma package is great imo , and the 1065 is likely to be better than my 765 , hopefully a few more experienced forumites will have some more suggestions for you

 

[strapped for cash]

Sounds like a pretty good call to me Max.

Schnicks -- best thing to do is draw up a shortlist and set up some auditions. If you can push your budget a little further you could go for the Yamaha 1065 with the B&W 685 5.1 set up. Should be fantastic.

I've now got the problem of possibly having to start from scratch with my speakers after a stupid accident with the tweeter on my older model B&W centre speaker. Problem is, if B&W can't replace the tweeter like for like (because it's an older model) I don't know if I will be able to get the centre to integrate as well with the other speakers in my set up.

That's why I'm wondering whether the Q Acoustics 1010i would work well with the Yamaha 1065? Love the price, and based on the WHF review it can't be faulted. But would I be selling my receiver a little short? Would it be better partnered with a more expensive 5.1 set up? Would love some advice here...

Not to mention finding the money. Being a mature student and an AV enthusiast don't go hand in hand!

 

[ear]

strapped come on.dont downgrade.get another cenetr from B&W it wount me much difefrent

 

[Anonymous]

if money is a factor , then i guess your choices are limited strapped , but in my uneducated opinion , the q accoustics would not do your amp justice , but at a couple of hundred quid , they may get you out of a hole , theres always ebay when funds allow at a later date ..

 

[strapped for cash]

Cheers ear/Max

Ah, so you both consider the Q Acoustics package a considerable downgrade from B&W speakers that are almost a decade old. I certainly can't afford the B&W 685 theatre package (though that would do very nicely). As the Q Acoustics produce a sound that "belies their £500 price tag", according to the review, I wondered how they would compare with packages in a slightly higher price band?

My living room isn't particularly huge (about 4m x 3.5m) so maybe the Q Acoustics package would work perfectly well; and free up a little space, to boot.

 

[ear]

well if you use the b&w speakers for another stereo system them nice.go for another set of 5.1 speakers

 

[Anonymous]

strapped for cash:
Cheers ear/Max

Ah, so you both consider the Q Acoustics package a considerable downgrade from B&W speakers that are almost a decade old. I certainly can't afford the B&W 685 theatre package (though that would do very nicely). As the Q Acoustics produce a sound that "belies their £500 price tag", according to the review, I wondered how they would compare with packages in a slightly higher price band?

My living room isn't particularly huge (about 4m x 3.5m) so maybe the Q Acoustics package would work perfectly well; and free up a little space, to boot.

theyre only £300 strapped

 

[strapped for cash]

Good spot Max!

Well, in that case, they could be an ideal stop gap. If I can't get my tweeter sorted then they've at least got to be worth an audition. I may be expecting too much of them, but having a listen does no harm. And it's better than no system at all, or one where the most important channel sounds a bit strange.

Then again, I might be jumping the gun. Hopefully B&W spares and repairs will get me sorted.

Apologies to Schnicks. I've hijacked this thread for my own purposes. I Still think you should look at the B&W 685 package...

Another thing you should consider is whether you want to go 3D? If so, might be worth waiting for the new range of receivers that will be HDMI v. 1.4 compatible. If not, then I think the 1065 is as good a deal on the receiver front as you can get at the moment.

 

[Anonymous]

im not familiar with your b and w system strapped , but i hazard a guess that spending less than the cost of the q accoustics on a repair will leave you with a better setup for less money ?

 

[strapped for cash]

Indeed. If I can get it repaired. My B&Ws are 601 series 3 mains and an LCR60 series 3 centre. I use different speakers for rear duties. The B&Ws are good, but they were always entry level speakers and I bought them in 2001.

You would expect, nine years later, that speaker technology has moved on. That's why I'm wondering if the Q Acoustics would run the B&Ws close.

That said, I remember getting a Tannoy sub/sat package five years back to try and free up space. Within an hour, I knew they couldn't compete with full size speakers so they were swiftly returned.

The Q Acoustics package has larger speakers, though, and a full sized centre speaker; and, apparently, a pretty good sub (which my system is missing at the moment). And I'd have the benefit of matching rear speakers. Could try to flog the centre and use the 601s in a stereo set up (I think this would make better use of them than as left/right speakers in a 5.1. system).

Anyway, I'll leave it alone and see what B&W have to say first. Hopefully they'll get back to me tomorrow...

Cheers for the input, as usual.

 

[ear]

thought you had 2 pairs of BW. only one good for stereo.but the Q acoustics...you will find them more like the tabboy sat sub you got before.even the 1020 or 2020 wount get even close to the b&w